Tracking navigation flows within the same browser tab

• US 9,232,011 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2010
• Issued: 01/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Galushka, Nataliya, Parsell, Ryan D., Siddiqi, Asif A., Vettivelu, Mathanram, King, Jonathan Q.
• Primary Examiner(s): PITARO, RYAN F
• Application Number:
  US12/748,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20110239138A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,111 Days
• Field of Search: 715/707
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Various embodiments enable navigation flows that occur within a single tab to be tracked through the use of identifiers that are created and passed between client-side and server-side software. The client-side and server-side software work in concert to utilize these identifiers to track navigation within a particular tab. In at least some embodiments, a client can request a web page from within a tab and, responsive to that request, a server can create an identifier and associate the identifier with the web page. The web page and identifier can then be returned to the client. Subsequent web page requests from within the tab include the identifier so that the server knows that the request came from the same tab.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a web page navigation indication comprising a request for a web page from within a web application'"'"'s first tab;

ascertaining the web page navigation indication is not directed to navigation within the first tab;

sending the request to a server that provides the web page, the request not including an identifier directed to tab-specific navigation tracking;

responsive to sending the request, receiving from the server the web page including an identifier directed to tab-specific navigation tracking in a shared session of the web application from within an additional tab that is unique within the context of an associated session cookie, the session cookie shared with the first tab;

using the received identifier from the server in subsequent web page requests from within the additional tab; and

not using the received identifier in web page requests from other tabs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the received identifier comprises a JavaScript variable.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said using and not using are performed by a navigation tracking module that is implemented as part of the web-application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said using the received identifier comprises including the received identifier with a query string in the subsequent web page requests.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said using the received identifier comprises including the received identifier with a cookie that is sent along with the subsequent web page requests.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said using the received identifier comprises using the received identifier if a requested web page is within a domain of interest.

7. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving, at a server, a request for web content;

ascertaining whether a tab-specific identifier, associated with an individual tab on a requesting web-application within the context of an associated session cookie, is associated with the request;

responsive to the request for the web content not containing the tab-specific identifier, generating, at the server, a new tab-specific identifier and logging the new tab-specific identifier and the associated web content in a log file, the new tab-specific identifier configured to share the session cookie with the tab-specific identifier;

responsive to the request for the web content containing the identifier, logging the tab-specific identifier and the associated web content in the log file located at the server;

associating either the tab-specific identifier or the new tab-specific identifier with the web content; and

returning the web page content including either the tab-specific identifier or the new tab-specific identifier to a client from which the request was received.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the ascertaining is performed by ascertaining whether the tab-specific identifier is associated with a query string that forms part of the request.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the ascertaining is performed by ascertaining whether the tab-specific identifier is associated with a cookie that is received along with the request.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the generating a new tab-specific identifier is performed by generating a JavaScript variable.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the web content request is a web page request.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the web application is a web browser.

13. A system comprising:

one or more computing devices having one or more navigation tracking modules at least partially implemented in hardware configured to implement a method comprising;

ascertaining an Experience ID associated with the web content request;

ascertaining whether a Flow ID is associated with the web content request, the Flow ID allowing web navigation to be tracked at the granularity of a tab;

if no Flow ID is associated with the web content request, generating a new Flow ID for the web content request and making a log entry of the Experience ID, the requested web content, and the new Flow ID, the Experience ID configured to support multiple Flow IDs;

if a Flow ID is associated with the web content request, making a log entry of at least the requested web content and the Flow ID;

associating either the new Flow ID or the Flow ID with the requested web content; and

transmitting the requested web content including either the new Flow ID or the Flow ID to a client.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said associating either the new Flow ID or the Flow ID is performed by incorporating into the requested web content a JavaScript variable.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein said ascertaining whether a Flow ID is associated with the web content request is performed by ascertaining whether the Flow ID is associated with a query string that forms part of the web content request.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein said ascertaining whether a Flow ID is associated with the web content request is performed by ascertaining whether the Flow ID is associated with a cookie that is received along with the web content request.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the web content request is a web page request.

18. The system of claim 13, wherein the web application is a web browser.

19. The system of claim 13, further comprising ascertaining the web page navigation indication from within the web application'"'"'s first tab is not directed to navigation within the first tab.

20. The system of claim 13, further comprising ascertaining the web page navigation indication is directed to a link element.